(CNN) - In the wake of fresh GOP congressional losses, California Rep. Dan Lungren is planning to challenge John Boehner of Ohio for the top Republican spot in the House.

Lungren’s move is the latest sign some conservatives are unhappy with keeping same leadership at the helm of the conference as the party continues to re-group.

A spokesman for Lungren declined to say Friday how many members are supporting the congressman in what is widely viewed as a long-shot bid.

Boehner responded to the challenge with praise for Lungren. “Dan Lungren is a respected member of our conference and a man deeply committed to the principles that have defined our party since the beginning,” he said in a statement.

Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri has decided not to run for another term as Republican whip in the House. His deputy, Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, has already told his colleagues he will be a candidate for the position. Florida Rep. Adam Putnam, the Chairman of the Republican House Conference, is also relinquishing his GOP leadership post in the next Congress.

soundoff(124 Responses)

Obama is for UNITING of the PEOPLE

and KEEP Palin?????????????
hahahahahaha...nuff said....

November 14, 2008 03:32 pm at 3:32 pm |

Republicans - Truth is Optional Party

The whole McCain campaign was a disaster and adding Palin was the stupidest decision ever made by a Presidential candidate. It was obvious from the very beginning she was unqualified, incompetent, ignorant, and just plain too stupid to learn what she needed to know to be a viable candidate. They hid her from the media for good reason.

The Republican Party needs to completely reconstruct their Party. It is not representative of America nor the values or laws we believe in. The McCain campaign was racist in stirring up hate-fest rallies in states where they knew prejudice still ran high. They were shameless in their lies and smear attacks. It was disgusting. Between their hate campaign that never addressed a single real issue and the ridiculous choice of Palin – they were doomed to lose in a landslide.

The whote Republican party is a giant mess with no clear beliefs or common goals. They made a HUGE mistake by letting the minority of evangelical nuts take control of the Party and try to legislate their beliefs on the American people. Palin was the perfect example of the hypocritical evangelical nutjob who lives a life of lies and corruption yet seeks to impose their high and mighty "Christian" views on everyone else. For its survival, the Republicans need to get this group of crazies out of the Party. Mixing religion with governing has always been a terrible idea and it was the reason for the separation of church and state. The Reoublican Party needs to look back at the values and focus they had when Barry Goldwater was a Republican Party leader. He knew better than to let religious nuts try to control Party doctrine. He knew better than to let individual rights be controlled by the government. Real Republicans of the original Party believed in less government interference in our lives – the Party today wants to tell Americans how to live their lives and regulate their individuality. It is why people have bolted from the Republican Party. All that is left is old white men and "Christian" extremists.
The Republican Party had better decide who they are going to be for the future and how they can be more inclusive of the diversity of America and return to values of less government. Most of all they need to get the religious right out of the Party. They have destroyed the credibility of the Party and made it look hypocritical. Much of the hateful campaigns have come straight from the radical right. Just look at the nutjob Limbaugh as an example of someone who is still out there spouting lies and hatred this very day because people will not conform to his distorted view of the world.
The Republicans need to publically denounce these religious nuts and stop being intimidated by them. They need to open up their eyes to the real America and stop this "us versus them" Bush and Cheney policy. Your intelligent and moderate leaders should sit down and rewrite the Republican doctrine that includes all Americans, that gets religion out of our face, that rejects religious extremists and the hate they spread, reject negative campaigns and actually run on issues by actually learning what the issues of the majority of average/normal Americans believe in and care about, and steer back to getting government out of our lives (promote privacy rights that Bush destroyed and get the Patriot Act repealed for a start.
You better decide who you want to be for the future or your Party will further founder with no direction.
Start by throwing out and publically rejecting the religious right. They can practice whatever religion or form of "Chriistianity" they want but it has no place in your Party, in politics, or in trying to force their extremist views on the rest of America. They have run off the TRUE base of your Party.
Stand up for individual rights and state rights and your base of less government and more personal freedom.
Be a Party who welcomes more than old white people who are of the past and not America's future. Look at the young intelligent people who can teach you what "the real America" is and throw out the old guard.
Throw out the hatred and vile talk from the Rove era and from the religious nuts. Palin is one of those ignorant religious nutjobs that you should disavow.
Go after a new base – young, intelligent, educated, progressive, and positive.
Palin was a national disgrace and is still making a fool of the Republican Party. She is your example of everything you do not want to be for the future.
Good luck-I hope you find your way back to a real, viable, and credible Party again.

November 14, 2008 03:34 pm at 3:34 pm |

Frank

That will give House Republican's the choice between an extreme right-winger and an extreme right-winger.

Way to go guys. Turnin' that party right around, aren't ya?

November 14, 2008 03:35 pm at 3:35 pm |

60 year old white catholic woman for obama

who cares?? boner!!

November 14, 2008 03:36 pm at 3:36 pm |

Scott NYC Independent

And now they will trash each other like they trash the Dem.; this party is filled with hate, envy and self righteousness.

November 14, 2008 03:37 pm at 3:37 pm |

Spencer/NY to VA

Someone find a burial plot for the GOP. Theparty is so dead. Let Palin be your fearless leader guys. That will guarantee us democrats Washington for the next decade or two. In the past month I've counted approximately 54 CRIMINAL indictments. That's not even mentioning Palin's unethical behavior and divisive speeches at her rallies during the campaign. What's up with that???

November 14, 2008 03:38 pm at 3:38 pm |

Ron of Baltimore

Boehner has always come off, to me, as one of those angry auto-salesmen, like it's the customer's fault that there apparently will be no sale.

He sure dresses the part, with bright, fancy ties and all. He comes across as scowling, guilty of something and hiding it, with quite a self-devense issue going on in his head.

In short, let him go and find someone more relateable, much more real and friendlier,.

Quickly now!

November 14, 2008 03:39 pm at 3:39 pm |

A Canuck

THE GOP IS TOAST !!!!

November 14, 2008 03:43 pm at 3:43 pm |

Rachel

You said it..I didn't. The conservatives are unhappy with the people at the helm. If it was't bad enough they dragged in Palin. You GOP's got whipped good and you all asked for it. First thing on the agenda would be to keep Palin out of sight.

November 14, 2008 03:46 pm at 3:46 pm |

just a thought

the best thing the republicans can do is start from the ground up.

November 14, 2008 03:46 pm at 3:46 pm |

GOPS are going down!

we should file a suit against Palin for threatening Obama's life, and scrutinize those hate-mongers in her rallies. Maybe they should be sent to guantanamo, ha ha ha!! You lost !

November 14, 2008 03:46 pm at 3:46 pm |

D

Give me a break you all are losing because people see who the republicans are, lying trash talking hipocrits. That's why you all lost the senate races as well as the presidency, now all repukblicants can do is cry foul!!

What about when the rethugs stole the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, a good majority of the US want change, not the same old tired bush wacking of the past 8 years.

November 14, 2008 03:48 pm at 3:48 pm |

Tex Ann ~~~~~~~

Sounds like a lot of bailing out if you ask me.

November 14, 2008 03:48 pm at 3:48 pm |

LyonsPhilly

Who cares. They're all self-destructing anyway.....

November 14, 2008 03:48 pm at 3:48 pm |

REG in AZ

Clothes at $150k were bought for and accepted by Palin as if she deserved them. Now that is not a real big issue but is indicative of her attitude. I think most people today see her for what she is: an unqualified, bold, arrogant, aggressive but an empty self-focused individual who is cute, entertaining and a real talker who says a lot without any real substance. She repeats the same things over and over, whether with or without pertinence, and constantly grabs attention with her only interest being self-enhancement. She doesn't seem all that bright, as substantiated by her many goofs, and it is hard to imagine anyone feeling good about having her (and Todd) in the White House. Can't we just move on and let her fade away?

November 14, 2008 03:49 pm at 3:49 pm |

TJ

Is Lundgren that guy I saw on Harball the other day? If so, he's actually NOT an extreme right-winger. He actually sounds like an intelligent, reasonable Republican along the lines of Tim Pawlenty or Charlie Crist. Boehner on the other hand IS an extreme right-wing absolutist ideologue. He has no desire to work with Obama and he seems to only know what he's against instead offering fresh ideas about what he's for, and his only concern is how much he's "keeping it real" with what he views his conceited, blinding, obstructionist right-wing absolutism.

November 14, 2008 03:53 pm at 3:53 pm |

CanIcallyouJoe

Oh, I bet this guy didn't get made fun of AT ALL in high school because of his name...

November 14, 2008 03:54 pm at 3:54 pm |

Dallas

Eric Cantor is a hot head that can't wait to get in postion to throw bombs across the aisle in Congress. He will continue the partisan legacy of the old right and add nothing to sensible dialouge.

November 14, 2008 04:01 pm at 4:01 pm |

Doug R.

Boehner was nothing but a Bush stooge. If Bush said jump, Boehner would say "How high".

November 14, 2008 04:03 pm at 4:03 pm |

EqualBranchesofGovernment

Get the bum out!!!!.........This is the guy who in February took Republicans out of the legislative session because he didn't like the fact that Democrats now in the majority allowed the FISA act to expire........See you later Rep. Boehner.

November 14, 2008 04:05 pm at 4:05 pm |

jean brandt

I think what's happened is that most free-thinking Americans have finally seen through all the Republican bull.

When the Republicans say less taxes, they really mean, "let's give rich people more money." When they say less government, they really mean, "Let's screw the common man. Let's cut their healthcare, social security, etc. Let's deregulate and have less environmental restrictions so the rich can get away with more." When they say privatize health care, they mean, "let's not give people any help in their medical bills. Let them go bankrupt from them."

Plus, they say they want less goverment. But, they always want to increase military spending and go to ridiculous costly wars. That's more government. They want to illegalize abortion, that's more government. What they really mean is they want less government when it comes to helping the average guy out.

By the way, this is far from the end of the Republican demise. In 2010, 19 of the 34 seats up in the senate are Republican, and many of them are very vulnerable.

November 14, 2008 04:07 pm at 4:07 pm |

Frank from Peterborough

Not much to choose from within the GOP so who will be the sacrificial lamb? May I suggest Palin. The comedy channels just aren't the same without her or McCain in the lime light.

November 14, 2008 04:10 pm at 4:10 pm |

Corey Gabriel

Lundgren never should have been re-elected!

November 14, 2008 04:10 pm at 4:10 pm |

jean brandt

Regardless who's in charge, I expect they will "stay the course' ~ continuing to run the Republican party on anti-gay, anti-abortion and other wedge issue politics until the rapture happens. And the only way the Republican party will get elected in the forseeable future is if the Democrats drop the ball significantly. Hoever, if the Republicans only hope of getting elected depends on the other guy screwing up, that doesn't speak at all highly of the Republican party's viability as a national party or their driving philosophy (if any). In fact, quite the opposite.

November 14, 2008 04:13 pm at 4:13 pm |

Tom, VA

MAYBE they'll get a Republican that will lead so as to live up to the "Country First" motto. Boner wasted no time abandoning it.